Me? I'm A Blogoholic?

Thanks to the many contributors who compiled this list. Feel free to add your blog addiction.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Symptoms Of A Blogoholic

On Friday, September 30th, I wrote about blog addictions. Here's the original post. In response, my blog buddies chimed in with their blog issues.

See those people on the right?------------------->

They started this list. Since then, many wonderful bloggers have added their symptoms. See the comments section for those who have added to this list. Together, they're the best of the best.

Feel free to add symptoms you may have. As new ones are added, I put them on this master list, which now includes comments through 1/31/06. Here are the hundred we've uncovered so far:

Checking your blog every five minutes to see if you have another comment.

Reading and responding to blogs more than four hours a day.

Leaving spam in your comments to pump up the number of total comments.

Changing your template once a week.

Hitting the “next blog” button just to make friends.

Signing in as “Anonymous” to leave a comment on your own blog.

Having more than one blog.

Telling your partner “ I have a headache” so you can blog.

Blogging while you’re at work.

Thanking spammers for posting a comment.

Skipping meals so you can blog.

Not keeping up with family and friends because they don't have a blog.

Instead of having conversations with friends you tell them, "just read my blog!"

When you write more than 10 posts per day.

When you wake up in the middle of the night with a response to that one blog.

When you carry a notebook with you to keep track of blog ideas.

When you your friends haven't read your blog but part-way through conversations you mumble to yourself "I gotta post that."

When you overanalyze your blog use and spend over an hour on one response.

When you travel to visit your faraway family and spend many precious visit hours blogging.

How about reading blogs at six-something in the morning after having gone to bed at 2 because you were out drinking.

Telling your kids to shut up cuz you're trying to think of a response... and you just-can't- think-when-they're-jabbering- on-and-on-and-on.

You take the laptop in the bathroom to read other blogs." Who knows, I could have left you a comment while peeing!"

Threatening to excommunicate family members if they don't read and comment at your blog.

Keeping a mini-recorder with you at all times in order to keep track of all good blog ideas that come to mind.

Spelling blog, blog, blog with your alphabet soup.

Blowing off your (in the flesh) friends by saying, "I already made other plans with some (bloggers I've never seen) friends. Aw, shucks. I'll join you next time"

You like to update your site every two minutes in order to constantly reappear on the "recently updated" list.

You formally ask your friends if they'd like to make comments on a story you just related...in person.

Something, anything happens and you think, "Oh! I so have to blog about THAT!"

Templates are like smoke alarms. One design is simply not enough.

You make comments on other people's blogs just so they'll visit, comment and blogroll, yours.

You 'Google' your blog to see if anyone has plucked you from obscurity... yet, since really, it's only a matter of time.

You scour the net looking for ways to "get your blog out there".

You wake up, pour yourself some coffee, sit down at the computer and suddenly, it's 4pm.

You enjoy making loose connections with random strangers.

You came up with a list of 10 ways you could be addicted to blogging.

You go out and take photos for the sole purpose of posting them on your blog.

You worry why your comment wasn't commented on.

Installing "Blogger for Word" so you can upload new posts on your blog, bypassing the campus' firewall that won't allow students (or teachers) to read blogs from campus computers.

You have nightmares about not being able to type in the word verification correctly.

Blog dreams...dreaming about your blog, what you are going to blog, or people who's blogs you read or who comment on yours.

Asking strangers to see if they are bloggers.

Toying with the idea of being a full-time blogger.

Be a full-time blogger.

Thinking about blogging about an event while the event is occurring.

Dreaming about my blog.

You turn on the computer first thing every morning to see what Doug's word to define today is.

You check at Hoss's to see if you can be the first to comment. You check Fred's to see if he's posted how the daughter's date went.

You talk about people and what's going on in their lives. When your significant other looks at you with an odd look on their face, you realize that you've been talking about your fellow bloggers again.

"I'm a blogger BECAUSE of my family!!"

You have an account with multiple blogging sites so you can comment on all of them.

You mention fellow blogger's thoughts and opinions in real conversations.

You and I talk about other bloggers like you know them, especially to friends who also blog.

You find yourself trying to get others to blog.

Checking the blogs is the first thing I do in the morning after getting to work and I go through all of them several more times through the day.

Waking up in a cold sweat, wondering what the heck you are going to Blog about that day?

Read at least 5 new blogs a day for the sole purpose of leaving an intelligent comment in the hopes of getting a bounce back comment.

You have a folder in your "favorites" or "bookmarks" lists for blog links only.

Being late for things because you only need to be blogging "just one more minute"

Rounding up. Make sure you leave a comment after 19, so then you have 20.

Blogger was down for a bit when I wanted to use it, and I broke out into a cold sweat.

Asking your friends and family to start a blog so you know what's up with them.

Starting a blog for your 67 year old mom and teaching her to use it.

Sitting at the computer till your bladder is at "burst now" because you want to see what happens next on the blog you are reading.

Leaving comments that say,"Why haven't you blogged this week, are you ok?"

Writing in your blog, "Please pick up a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk, darling," rather than calling home because you know your mate reads the blog before they leave work.

Writing another post on the same topic because the first one got you 90 comments.

You know you're an addicted blogger when you're jealous of people whose blogs get 90 comments.

You hurry home from work to blog about your day before you share it with your family.

You are obsessed with my sitemeter. I check every day to see who's been lurking and who stopped by to see if I updated.

"I am NOT a blogaholic, I can stop anytime I want!! It is completely within my control, you people just don't understand MY situation."

Having self-esteem issues because you aren't posted on the links.

When out of town and away from reliable connection, driving around a neighborhood surfing for a wireless connection.

If you find a connection, parking in that stranger's driveway until your battery is dead.

"Wondering how my mother gets twice as many comments than I do about MY anniversary."

When out of town and away from reliable connection, driving around a neighborhood surfing for a wireless connection.

Adding this blog to my blogroll.

You openly cringe as you scroll down your blogrolling list.

You think, how can I get on this blogger's list?

Announcing to the blogsphere that you're going to be away for awhile (PC problems, need time for family and work, etc.) but you popping in anyway (and this isn't JUST inspired by you - there are at least two others that come to mind...)

You post here about another reason to be a blogoholic.

You get up three hours earlier normal just to get blogging time in before the family gets up.

You know that you're living with a blog addiction when you actually consider the advantages and disadvantages of being an East Coast (Eastern Time Zone) vs. West Coast (Pacific Time Zone) blogger.

Actually having to censor your comments and guffaws because the significant other is within earshot and doesn't understand us bloggers.

You know you have a blogging problem when you feel guilty over posting filler material.

Having dreams that you are writing blog entries, and upon waking, being disgusted that you can't remember what you wrote in your dream so that you can actually blog it.

Freaking out that a blogger turned off the comments.

You start discussing your (fill in the blank) year blogger anniversary.

You get your comments sent to your cell phone just like a text message.

You have a t-shirt made that says "Check My Blog. . . I Mock You There." (Ambers friend had her one made.)

You hate the word blog but, you catch yourself saying it at least 3 times daily.

You take a chance by blogging and reading blogs (even the xxx ones) while at work.

You trust your blog buddies more than your real buddies with real secrets. (After all, who can they tell?)

You turn to your fellow bloggers for advice instead of your real friends.

You realize the list of blogging addictions you just made really does show your addiction.

You spend hours and ($$ parking etc) to get the one picture that you need... when you should be working!

Looking through your stats to see where search engines refer people to your blog, and compiling a list of all the expressions that Google returns you on page 1.

Writing letters to magazines, extolling the virtues of blogging (without mentioning the health warnings) and collecting "Letter of the Week" prizes.